Cota: Psych grad and rowing champ now wears a stethoscope

 The relentless pace of hospital hallways and operating rooms is all too familiar to Adam Cota, who takes to a busy schedule like a rower to water: he has already earned two undergraduate degrees from UVic and is now in his third year of the Island Medical Program.

Cota graduated in November 2007 from the Faculty of Social Sciences (psychology) and is receiving this year’s Social Sciences Jubilee Medal. But it certainly didn’t start or end with one degree for Cota.

He was lured from Ontario to the West Coast and transferred from UBC to UVic in 1996, drawn by the possibility of rowing throughout the year. He started the sport in grade 9 in hometown Kingston, ON, while attending Trinity College School. He continued to keep his oars in the water while undertaking his first degree (biochemistry), awarded in 1999.

From 2001 to 2003, Cota trained with the Canadian rowing team based in Victoria. He took time off from his studies for the two-year intensive period when he and his teammates had their sights set on major international competitions such as the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

“Competitive rowing on a national level is all-consuming,” Cota says. “After I retired in the summer of 2003, I was able to focus completely on psychology and medicine.”

Well, not quite. Cota also runs full marathons. Last June, he took part in the eighth annual Edge to Edge Marathon from Tofino to Ucluelet.

From January 2007 till last month, Cota was also volunteering at the AIDS Vancouver Island needle exchange. Every Friday night he was behind the counter handing out clean needles and other paraphernalia.

Cota will complete his medical degree in June 2009 as a member of the second class to complete the Island Medical Program. He intends to pursue a residency in orthopaedic surgery in hopes of setting up practice on Vancouver Island. A five-year residency is standard for general orthopaedic surgery, but Cota wants to add one additional year to allow for specialization.

So fast is his pace, Cota might easily hear his own heartbeat when he holds up the stethoscope. Based on his level of dedication, there will also be a healthy dose of compassion in every patient visit.